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Fresno Bagel Workshop

Fresno Bagel Workshop

Our granddaughters, Naomi (6 years old) and Sasha (3 years old), have been staying with us for two weeks. Making bagels was in our contract. We saved this activity until just before their parents return, so they could have them fresh-baked. The parents return late tonight, so we made bagels today to bake for their brunch tomorrow.

Naomi had had an introduction to bagel shaping by her great Great Uncle, Glenn, a few weeks ago. She was a quick learner. Now, little sister wanted to make bagels too.

Sasha got to shape the first bagel, before going for her nap. Naomi provided support.

Naomi really remembered everything Glenn had shown her. She needed minimal help - like keeping the board damp enough to give the dough some traction.

Naomi really shaped most of the bagels, but she did let me make a couple.

From the "It's never too late to learn" department: When she saw how much fun we were having, Grandma Susan had to grab a piece of the action. She received excellent instruction and did pretty well, for a beginner.

Since I had so much help with the bagels, I was able to get a couple bâtards of pain au levain baked this afternoon as well.

While they lacked something in symmetry, these were the best tasting bagels I've every baked. I used the Krakow Bagel formula from ITJB recipe testing. It is the same as the New York Bagel formula in the book, except it adds a 60 minute bulk fermentation step before dividing and shaping. I tried brother Glenn's flour mix - 25% KAF Bread Flour and 75% KAF Sir Lancelot Flour. Also, the bagels were eaten within an hour of baking. The crust was crisp. There was just the right amount of chewiness. The flavor was perfect, with a bit more sweet flavor than usual.

One thing about a well trained apprentice is that one can find oneself out of a job. :- } Glad Naomi allowed you to shape a few.

She already looks like a pro - really understanding what the objective is - total concentration on her hands in every shot here showing her rolling and shaping. No haphazard motions. She is going for perfection and it shows. :-) What a nice surprise for her parents upon their return.

Thanks for sharing these pictures here. They really are heartwarming to see.

Hello David,It looks like you all had a great day, making these bagels. What a lovely welcome home for your travellers!Your granddaughters are adorable, with talent to match (you mention Naomi is a quick learner but she looks to be an excellent instructor, too!).:^) breadsong

I hope my son "caught the (baking) bug." He's a terrific and adventurous cook, but my daughter-in-law thinks he's been a little scared to venture into our world. The girls have helped their mother make cookies and cupcakes I know. Nothing would please me more than for them to start baking bread with their daddy. That would be a memory-making experience for them all.

David, thank you for sharing such a beautiful family time. I love looking at those beautiful little girls enjoying their special time with grandpa and grandma. And your posting is inspiring, too. We will be taking charge of our grandkids for three days in a couple of weeks while mom is performing visiting faculty duty in Vermont and dad is working hard at his university job. I don't know if we can bake bagels together (we won't be in our house but will be in theirs, which lacks some of the baking accoutrements), but we can organize well enough to bake a favorite of the little ones. Challah always brings squeals of delight, especially from the 17-month-old grandson; the 3-year-0ld is a bit more "jaded" as she makes challah in her preschool every Friday, but she knows "the ropes" (sorry--bad pun!). So that might be just the thing to bake with them. Aren't those little ones the best treat of all! Thanks again for sharing.

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